Lilium auratum
by Qellaswe
Summary: It's the start of Lily Evans' sixth year at Hogwarts. What happens when she takes a shine to the newest DADA teacher? And what's up with James Potter, anyway? A MWPP-era fic. NOT DH compliant.
1. Part 1

Title: Lilium auratum  
Author: Qellaswe  
Rating: K+, for language  
Pairings: one-sided Lily/DADA professor, pre-James/Lily  
Spoilers: I'll say through HBP, just to cover all the bases  
Disclaimer: Jo owns 'em. I'm just playing with 'em.  
Summary: It's the start of Lily Evans' sixth year at Hogwarts. What happens when she takes a shine to the newest DADA teacher? And what's up with James Potter, anyway?  
AN: It's my first MWPP era fic, and I have to say that I'm very excited. This story was begun just after HBP came out and finished before DH. This was posted on my livejournal, but only one person read it, as far as I know, because that journal was abandoned soon after. This story was orginally part of a three-story series, but the third was never finished. The second story will be out as soon as it's been looked through.  
This story has been cut into three parts to make reading a bit easier.  
Lilium auratum: Japanese lily, often called the Goldband Lily. The flower colour is typically white, with gold radial markings, and orange spots.

Lily was studiously ignoring Potter and his gang as the first years slowly made their way through the Great Hall. At sixteen, the eleven-year-olds looked small to her, and she wondered how small they would look to her next year.

She looked up at the head table as the first years continued to straggle in. Professor McGonagall's seat was empty, as she was leading the first years; Professor Flitwick's was also empty as he was setting the Sorting Hat on its stool. The new Herbology instructor, Professor Sprout, was talking with Professor Slughorn, the Potions instructor, as well as Head of Slytherin. Professor Sprout had been named Head of Hufflepuff at the Leaving Feast last year. Which meant that there was a new Professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.

Lily's eyes ran over the adults at the Head Table, finally landing on a young man. He was not much older than she was, at least from this distance. His black hair was long enough to be pulled back, although she could see that there were several streaks of white in it. He had a long scar down one cheek; Lily couldn't quite make out what color his eyes were, but she could tell that they were a pale color.

"Isn't he cute?" Carmen Brown asked a couple of seats down. The fifth year was obviously talking to her best friend, Anastasia MacGuire. "And he's not some old man like Dumbledore. Or short like Flitwick."

Lily turned back to where the first years were lined up, the Sorting Hat finishing its song. She was disappointed that she had missed it. Professor McGongall then crisply called out each name, but on a few her voice wavered the tiniest bit. Lily recognized the names as those involved in the atrocities this summer as listing in _The Daily Prophet._

Professor Dumbledore rose as "Yeardly, Michael" sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Before we eat, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. As you know, Professor Montrose retired at the end of last year. This year, I'd like to welcome Professor J.H. Parker to the position."

As the school politely clapped, Lily looked over at Potter's gang and found them already plotting against the new teacher.

******

Lily was excited to see what the DADA Professor was really like. The fifth year girls had been gushing about how handsome the new teacher was, in spite of his being at least twenty years older than they, having had the class yesterday. The fourth year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff class had told them how exciting the class had been with a mock battle given by animated models. The rest of the sixth years, though, were anxiously waiting for Professor Parker. Lily was surprised to see that the Slytherins were behaving themselves, even Snape. The only ones still acting like the rowdy monkeys there are were Potter and Black.

The door shut suddenly and Professor Parker strode to the desk in front with a smooth gait. Lily looked closely and found that he was as handsome as the other girls had said. His eyes were a little bit lighter than her own green. Besides the scar down his cheek, there was a mass of scar tissue peaking through his fringe. His black hair had larger streaks of white through it than Lily had previously thought, and she could see that they were a brilliant white. His jaw was strong, and there was a slight cleft in his chin, making Lily remember seeing Sean Connery in his latest movie over the summer. He had full lips and a straight nose, although that didn't mean it hadn't been broken.

"Miss Evans?"

She jerked out of her perusal to find Professor Parker staring at her and the class tittering behind their hands. Lily shrunk in her seat. "Yes, sir?"

Professor Parker smiled and Lily felt her stomach flutter. "I see that you're here." His lips quirked up into a grin. "Just make sure you stay here, okay?"

Lily felt her face redden, most likely clashing with her red hair. She nodded, embarrassed.

"Mister Finn?"

"Here!" Michael Finn called from among the other Hufflepuffs.

"Miss Graham?"

Lily tuned out the roll call until it came time for Potter.

"Mister Potter?"

"Here and awake, sir!" But it wasn't Potter that answered. It was Black.

Professor Parker raised one eyebrow. "You are both Mister Black and Mister Potter? I was not aware that I had a Sybil in my class - " Lily and the other Muggleborns laughed at that, having at least heard about the recent movie - "Are there any other personalities that I should know about?"

"Well, there's Peter. And then there's the evil git, Snivellus."

Time seemed to slow down for Lily as Snape drew his wand and sent a hex at Black, who was already returning it. The hexes glowed and as they headed straight for the other, a third spell came forward and wrapped around the two hexes.

"There will be no fighting in this classroom," the professor said in a low, fierce voice. Lily and half the class jumped at the tone. It was like an ominous rumble of thunder telling of the oncoming tempest. "Five points from both of your houses and I will talk to each of you after class."

Professor Parker then smiled at the class, disarming them.

"Miss Robinson?"

******

Lily was in her little corner of the common room, doing her Defense homework. She missed doing her homework in the library with her friend, Alice, who was in Ravenclaw. However, once it got dark, all students had to be in their common room, with the exception of meals. It was quite tiresome to be stuck in the same tower as Potter's gang. Speaking of which, Black was heading her way.

"I heard that you find Parker 'cute,' Evans," Black said as he sat backwards in the chair, resting his hands and chin on the back.

Lily sniffed. "I don't find him 'cute,' Black." She looked over to where Potter was snickering. "Why don't you go back to your loser friend and pretend that you're cute."

Black tried to pull the puppy dog face that most of the other girls loved. "You don't find me handsome?"

"I find you disgusting, actually."

"Miss Evans?" Professor McGonagall's voice called from the entrance to the common room.

Lily felt herself pale. It seemed like the only time someone was called out after dark was when a person in their family had been killed.

"Miss Evans?"

"I'll take care of your books, Evans," Black said in what seemed to be an extraordinarily loud voice.

Lily rose on shaky legs and made her way over to where her Head of House was standing.

"If you would follow me, Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall said. "I will explain in my office."

"My parents?" Lily managed to croak out as they approached the office.

"They were involved in an automobile accident, Miss Evans," the Head of Gryffindor House explained. "We have not been able to get many details, other than which hospital they have been taken to. Your sister is there and has requested for you to join her." McGonagall eyed Lily. "Now, it is up to you whether you would like to floo or to double apparate with the professor who will be accompanying you."

"Who is it?" Lily asked, her fingers clasped tightly together.

"Professor Parker," was the answer. "He is familiar with the Muggle world, and is able to apparate you there if you so choose."

Lily nodded. "Yes, I'd like to do that, Professor. Should I take my cloak?"

Professor McGonagall eyed her clothing, and Lily looked down at her dark jeans and blue jumper. The professor nodded. "If you would like to, or if you have a Muggle-style cloak, as you will be in hospital."

"I have a coat, Professor."

A knock sounded and Professor Parker walked in. "All set, Miss Lily?"

She nodded, her attention caught by the fact that the professor was wearing a black leather jacket over a green jumper and blue jeans. His feet were shod in black boots that ended halfway up to his knees.

"Let's go get you a jacket, Miss Lily, and then we can get walking to the gates."

******

"Who's this?" Petunia asked as Lily stepped into the small family lounge.

"This is Professor Parker," Lily said. "How're Mum and Dad?"

Petunia's mouth pursed into her lemon-sucking look. "Father is in surgery, and Mother is resting."

"What happened?" Lily asked as she sat down next to her sister. She took her jacket off, draping it over the back of the couch.

"They were coming back from Grandmother Evans' when a lorry pulled out in front of them."

"How badly were they hurt?" It felt like she was trying to pull teeth.

"Mother had a broken leg and a couple of bruised ribs. She also has a concussion. Father had a broken cheekbone - that is why he is in surgery. He also has a concussion because of hitting the steering wheel. Father also had three broken ribs and his right arm was cut up badly from the window breaking. The lorry hit Father's side of the car."

Lily let out a sigh of relief. She had been so worried that she wouldn't see her parents alive again. That was her biggest fear as the war in the wizarding world escalated. She didn't worry as much about Petunia and their grandmother - not so much as she didn't love them, but she knew they didn't like magic and would instinctively avoid it.

"Miss Evans?"

Lily and Petunia looked up as a doctor came in. Petunia stood. "Yes?"

The doctor eyed Professor Parker before talking quietly to Lily and her sister. "I'm afraid that there has been an unexpected complication with your father's surgery. The concussion was more severe than we thought, and now his brain is bleeding."

"Can it be stopped?" Lily asked.

The doctor hesitated and she felt her heart stop. "I am afraid that we can't stop it. The nurses are getting him comfortable, and then you can go in and see him." He gave a brief nod and exited, leaving behind a heavy and uncomfortable silence.

"Can't you use that magic of yours to heal Father?" Petunia demanded as soon as the door to the lounge shut. "Just wave your wand or whatever to stop it."

Lily wrapped her arms around her waist and shook her head. "I can't, Petunia."

"What about you?" Petunia snapped. Lily turned around, having forgotten that Professor Parker was in the room.

"I can ask if a mediwizard or witch will visit, Miss Evans, but I do not know if they will come."

Petunia's face reddened with anger. "So he isn't good enough for your freaky magic? Just because he doesn't have any?"

Professor Parker shook his head. "It's not that - "

"Yes it is."

"There is a war out there, Miss Evans," the professor sternly said. "If one of the Death Eaters follows the medic, they will kill everyone in the area. They aren't very willing to risk that."

"He's worth the risk to me!" Petunia spat, grabbing her purse and quickly leaving the lounge.

"Don't you know any first-aid spells?" Lily asked, a tiny bit of hope quickly flowing.

The professor shook his head. "Only the basic spells for cuts and sprains. I'm sorry."

Lily carefully sat down as she forcefully exhaled. She felt dizzy as the hope smashed into smithereens. The sofa dipped next to her. She raised her eyes to find her professor wearing a quite sad expression. There was empathy and kindness in it, as well as a little bit of guilt and regret.

Her eyes itched, but she refused to let the tears fall. If she started crying, she probably wouldn't stop for quite a while, and she didn't want her father to see her like that. She wanted to be strong for him. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Lily stood. "I think that I'll go see my mum now."

Professor Parker nodded. "I will be waiting here for you."

******

Lily had just stepped out of her father's room when she spotted Professor Parker coming out the door leading to her mother's wing. He stopped when he saw her and flashed a small grin.

"Your mother learned that I was here and wanted to find out how you were doing in your schoolwork," he said. "I don't think that I've ever been so thoroughly grilled by anyone."

Lily's mouth relaxed enough to give an answering grin. It may have been small, but it felt good in spite of the fact that tears were beginning to fall. She raised a shaky hand to wipe them away, but they started to fall even faster. As they did, she found herself gently guided back into the family lounge. She leaned into her professor's arms, feeling his heartbeat under his warm, hard chest. All Lily could think about was that she was losing her father.

Her sobs eventually tapered down, though her throat felt raw and her eyes hurt. Lily sat up as she realized that she had been snuggling up to her Defense teacher. Luckily for her, her face was already red from crying or she would have blushed bright pink with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that," she said, blowing her nose on the handkerchief he offered.

"That's all right, Miss Lily. Why don't you call me Harry?" he offered. "If you're comfortable with that."

Lily shrugged. "I guess so... Harry." A thrill went through her as she said his name, secretly flattered that she could call him by his first name; what she thought must be his first name. Then the reality of her situation hit her. "What am I going to do?" she asked in a quiet voice. "About my dad, I mean?"

Her professor... Harry... sighed. "We can do a couple of things. The first is to stay until further notice with an owl to the school. The second would be to return to the school and sort things out there. The third option would be for you to stay with your sister, although I hesitate to leave you so unprotected." He patted Lily's hand. "It is up to you on how we work this out."

She held a shiver back at the feeling of his warm hand covering the back of hers. "I think I should stay and wait for Petunia first. She's still in with Dad."

******

Lily wasn't sure what had woken her, but she was glad it had. The dream hadn't quite been a nightmare, but it had some awful things in it. She yawned, almost breaking her jaw with its width and strength, stretching out her left arm. For some reason she couldn't move her right arm though. Opening her eyes the tiniest bit, she found the room was sideways. She didn't remember lying down, but she was there with a blanket covering her and a small pillow of some sort against her right cheek.

She half sat up, taking in her surroundings. The lounge was dimly lit, with a brighter light coming through the window in the door to the hallway. Its light hit the edge of the other sofa in the lounge, revealing that it was occupied as well. There was a blanket haphazardly lying over Professor... Harry. Her face flushed with the thought even as she continued her perusal. A lock of black and white hair lay across his cheek, his face soft in sleep. The faint lines around his eyes had all but disappeared, and his hair was as if a halo. His right hand rested on his chest as it slowly moved up and down with each breath. Lily looked a bit closer and saw that it had a series of scars. She reached out to touch it, feeling the bumps and ridges.

The hand turned and grabbed hers with a tight grip.

"I'm sorry!" Lily stepped back as his green eyes met her in the dim light, hand still trapped in his.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in a rough voice.

"You... your hand," Lily shakily answered. "I..."

He released her, pulling his hand back and rubbing over the scars with his left hand.

"I'm sorry - " she started.

"Did I frighten you?" he asked at the same time.

Harry chuckled, even as Lily blushed.

"I didn't scare you, did I?"

She shook her head and giggled. Lily abruptly stopped when she realized her giggles and then it petered out to a pathetic 'ha ha.' "No, I'm all right. I didn't mean to startle you like that." She looked down at the floor. "I don't know why I did that in the first place."

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that, even if I'm half-asleep." He grinned.

Lily felt her heart flutter. She wished it would stop doing that, because she refused to turn into one of the googly-eyed upper year girls who hung around Harry's office door, waiting for some scraps of his attention.

Taking a deep breath and reminding herself why they were here in the first place, she looked her professor in the eye, resolving to put all of these feelings away and deal with what needed to be done. "I think I know what I'd like to do. About tonight, I mean."

******

"So what did you do, Evans, take a vacation?" Black asked as Lily climbed through the portrait hole.

A hex flew from behind the sixth-year, and as he fell he revealed Potter with his wand out.

"Jeez, Sirius. Tactless much?" the boy asked. He turned to Lily. "How are you doing, Evans?"

Lily eyed him warily, not entirely sure if he was being sincere. Finally, she decided to answer as if he really cared. "I could be doing better, but it's nice to be back."

"What did you do that for?" Black asked in a whining tone, standing up to reveal a face full of spots.

"You were being an arse, Sirius," Potter said. "Miss Evans here does not need your sense of humor."

"How are you really doing, Lily?" Remus asked an hour later as they walked to the weekly prefect meeting.

"About as well as I can be. I...." She shrugged. "It's really hard, you know? I always thought that both of my parents would be around until I got old and now...."

Remus nodded. "It is hard."

Lily could hear the pain in his voice. He had lost his parents earlier this year, and for a while it had looked like he wasn't coming back to Hogwarts. She could remember what he looked like back then and now she knew what it felt like.

"Professor Parker helped, though," she eventually said. "He was really nice, even when my sister slapped him."

"She did what?" Remus asked in a shocked voice. "But, he's so nice!"

Lily giggled at the look on his face and also at the memory. "He is! But Petunia has an awful temper when it comes to magic. She really doesn't like it much at all. She was really angry that Professor Parker couldn't just wave his magic wand and 'Poof,' Daddy's cured," she finished in a sad voice.

Remus laid a hand on her arm, and Lily felt so comforted by that, enough so that she turned and hugged him. "Thanks, Remus."

* * *

"Why's Remus acting so strange, Evans?" Potter asked as he slid into the seat at Lily's left the next morning. "Did you hex him or something?"

She looked at him, scrunching her eyebrows together. "No," she answered. "Why? What happened?"

"He was humming in the shower this morning."

Lily coughed. "And you would know this how?"

Potter sat back with a shocked look on his face. Then it fell into his normal, joking one. "Communal showers in the boys' tower, Evans. I didn't know you had it in you."

She felt like smirking. Of course he didn't know it, because he had never sat down and _talked_ with her. Five and a half years, and Lily was finding that Potter had a caring side to him. True, it was buried deep, but it was there. "Now you know," she finally said. "But you'll have to ask Remus, because I don't know why he's acting strange."

He grinned at her, and she was struck with a feeling of deja vu, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"Thanks, Evans," he said, taking her last slice of bacon and standing up.

Lily watched as he sat down in his regular seat, just as the rest of his crew came in. Black practically ran over to Potter, shouting some nonsense, with Pettigrew scurrying in behind him. She watched Remus walk sedately over to the table, and there was something that was a bit different this morning. He seemed happier, she thought, much happier than he had been for the year at least. Lily smiled at him as he waved to her, glad that he was feeling better. He nodded and then turned his attention to his friends, who hadn't noticed the exchange.

******

"Miss Lily, would you stay after class for a minute?" Professor Parker asked at the start of the last Defense class before Christmas holidays.

She nodded, curious to what he wanted to talk about. Maybe he wanted to see how she was doing or if the holidays were going to be okay for here, only six weeks after losing her father.

"Would you mind giving this your mother?" Harry asked once the room had cleared.

Lily looked down at the red, gold, green, and silver papered box, eyes beginning to itch. She blinked rapidly to keep the building tears from spilling.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Harry asked, setting the package down and putting a hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.

She shook her head, knowing that she shouldn't feel so upset and... _jealous_ about this. Lily tried her best to contain her tears, but a couple did fall down her cheeks.

Harry's other hand came up and he pulled her into a light embrace, and for a few seconds, the only thought that ran through her mind was that he felt as good as last time. He smelled even better. She mentally reprimanded herself for being such a ninny and pulled back, taking care not to let him see how red her face was. She wasn't taking the chance that he would be able to know what she was thinking by what her face looked like.

"Lily? Are you sure you are feeling all right?"

Nodding, she collected her straying thoughts - because they were things she really shouldn't be thinking about her teacher - and looked up. "I'm fine. I just think that my mum would like the fact that you're giving her a present." She made a deliberate pause as an idea came to her. "She might like it even better if you delivered it in person." Lily wasn't sure if she was saying that because it made her feel better or because she genuinely felt that it would help her mother feel better.

Harry grinned, giving her another flash of deja vu. "Do you think so? Won't your sister mind?"

Lily shook her head. "She won't be there for Christmas Day. Mum wrote and said that she would be spending the day with her fiance's parents."

An expression flashed over Harry's face, too quick for her to read. Lily took it to mean that he wasn't fond of Petunia and was glad that she wouldn't be there. As it was, she was rather glad that her sister wouldn't be there, since she had grown rather tired of Petunia's snobby actions at their father's funeral. She shook herself mentally when she realized that Harry was grinning.

"Well, then, in that case, I'll keep your mother's present, and I'll see you Christmas Day." He moved the present down onto his chair and lightly touched her elbow. "Shall we go to lunch?"

Lily nodded in agreement, shifting her bag to walk just a little closer, telling her rational side that it could yell at her later for what she had done - this close to her crush was detrimental to her mental health, because she was turning into one of those rabid fan girls that hung onto Black and Potter's sleeves on Hogsmeade weekends.


	2. Part 2

Title: Lilium auratum  
Author: Qellaswe  
Rating: K+, for language  
Pairings: one-sided Lily/DADA professor, pre-James/Lily  
Spoilers: I'll say through HBP, just to cover all the bases  
Disclaimer: Jo owns 'em. I'm just playing with 'em.  
Summary: It's the start of Lily Evans' sixth year at Hogwarts. What happens when she takes a shine to the newest DADA teacher? And what's up with James Potter, anyway?  
AN: It's my first MWPP era fic, and I have to say that I'm very excited. This story was begun just after HBP came out and finished before DH. This was posted on my livejournal, but only one person read it, as far as I know, because that journal was abandoned soon after. This story was orginally part of a three-story series, but the third was never finished. The second story will be out as soon as it's been looked through.  
This story has been cut into three parts to make reading a bit easier.  
Lilium auratum: Japanese lily, often called the Goldband Lily. The flower colour is typically white, with gold radial markings, and orange spots.

Lily cinched the tie on her yellow dressing gown the tiniest bit tighter as she made her way down the stairs. It was nice being home, and even though she felt a bit guilty for thinking it, even better with Petunia gone for two days. Her fiance, Vernon Dursley, had taken her over to his parents' house after Midnight service last night, and she found him a bit disturbing. Vernon was always talking about people he didn't like because he thought them 'freaks.' She had to wonder if they were really wizarding folk from their behavior. Of course, they could be regular folk, too, judging by what the man had to say about loafers and disco queens.

"Good morning, honey," her mother called out as she opened the door into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mum." Lily carefully looked her mother over, watching for any changes that may have happened overnight. She was afraid that she would lose her mother, as her injuries she had suffered in the accident had been very slow to heal. Plus, losing her husband seemed to have a severely depressing effect to her health.

"What time did Harry say that he was coming over today?"

Lily looked over at the clock and saw that it was just after seven. "Professor Parker said that he would be here around one."

Her mother nodded and smiled. "He'll be here just in time for dinner, then. Now, do you wish to open your presents now? Or would you like to wait?"

"Let's open them now," Lily said with a grin, jumping out of her chair. She helped her mother into the family room and onto the chaise lounge opposite the small, decorated tree and close to the small gas fireplace. There was a small pile of gifts for each of them, once Lily had pulled them from under the tree. Curiously, there were two addressed to each of them in unfamiliar handwriting.

"Are these from the Dursleys?" Lily asked, holding up one of the gifts. The ruby-colored metallic wrapping looked expensive; while Petunia's fiance liked to talk expensively, Lily thought him rather too cheap to send presents like this.

"No, honey. The green and silver ones are," her mother answered.

Lily cautiously opened one corner and, when it didn't explode or curse her, finished the rest of the wrapping. The plain white box still didn't give her a clue as to who sent it. It didn't feel like there was anything magical inside, so she opened the flap.

"How beautiful, Lily!"

She blinked when she saw the necklace. Small, white petals surrounded glittering stones along the bottom half, almost like a daisy chain. The silver chain was dark in the depressions, giving her the impression that it was an old necklace. Along the white petals of the large flower in the center, the edges were lined with a lighter green gemstone color, the tiny stones no bigger than the head of a pin.

"Who is it from, Lily?" her mother asked.

Lily shook herself from her stupor and looked in the box, carefully setting the necklace on her thigh. There was a small white card tucked into the lining of the top flap. It was a smooth, creamy-white piece of thick parchment, with elegant writing that was vaguely familiar.

_Dear Lily,_

_It has been brought to my attention that I have been an awful prat to you  
__for the last five years. I hope that my actions this fall have started to  
__show you that I am trying to change, with both my treatment of you and  
__of others._

_I was sorry to hear that you lost your father, and while I couldn't always  
__control Sirius' actions, I did my best to make sure no other comments  
__reached your ears - especially from the Slytherins. Also, I am glad that  
__your mother is doing better, and that she is back at home, It must be more  
__conducive for her health to be with you during the holidays._

_As for your present, I wanted to give you a gift that would be sincere enough  
__to convince you of my changing sentiments. It also wasn't expensive, if  
__you were thinking that, because it was transfigured for the most part,  
__with only the chain made by hand and not by wand. The stones were created  
__with you in mind, hence their green color, while the flower petals are  
__actually pieces of mother-of-pearl, courtesy of our charming Charm prof._

_I know that I am not as eloquent as I wish to be, but I hope that you can  
__accept this necklace as a token of friendship._

_James Potter_

_PS I would be cautious about opening Sirius' present. He may have sworn an  
__oath, but it doesn't mean he still didn't pull a prank._

******

"That is a lovely necklace, Lily," Harry said as he stepped through the door. His green velvet cloak was a shade darker than his eyes, and the rain outside seemed to make his hair even darker. "Happy Christmas, Rose," he continued as he moved towards Lily's mother.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," came the reply. "Lily, why don't you take Harry's gifts while I get that sopping wet cloak out of the way. I don't think I have ever seen it rain this heavily this time of year. Let's get you next to the fire to dry off."

Harry laughed warmly, and a tiny shiver trilled down Lily's back. He waved his wand over his head, and the black and silver strands dried and became wavy.

"That's wonderful how you do that," her mother exclaimed. "I can't wait until Lily here can show me what she's learned at Hogwarts. But at Easter I can, won't I?"

Lily felt her cheeks flush at the pride in her mother's voice, although there was a tiny bit of sadness and regret that her father would never get to see her do any magic. There was a small amount of embarrassment dwelling in Lily's chest at her mother's boasting of her to her crush. Okay, so he wasn't a crush, exactly, but she refused to be like the other girls. Oh, who was she kidding? She was madly crushing on him.

"Your birthday is in March, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I remember that there are a couple more Gryffindors who have birthdays in the same week."

She nodded, telling herself that it wasn't acceptable to have an argument with yourself in front of other people. "Yes, but they're not obnoxious about it like Potter and his gang."

"Lily, be nice about him. After all, he is trying to make up for his 'obnoxiousness' by giving you that necklace," her mother said as she poured tea for Harry. "Here, dear, this will take care of your insides."

"Thank you, Rose." Harry leaned back and looked over at Lily. "So, what other gifts did you receive besides that beautiful necklace?"

Another blush rose on her cheeks. "Mum gave me a Muggle-style cloak and a couple of books."

"Lily also received some books from a couple of classmates," her mother said. "And they wrote such a nice letter to myself."

"Really? I didn't realize that those four were that mature," Harry said with a grin.

The way he said it, though, brought to mind Potter. Lily pondered on that thought for all of two seconds before mentally washing her brain thoroughly with soap. She wasn't going to lower herself to thinking about Potter when Harry was in front of her at her own house, in spite of the necklace that he had given her.

"Would you like to open your presents now?" Harry was asking when Lily came back to reality for the second time in ten minutes. "If you don't mind, of course."

"That would be lovely," Lily's mother said as she stiffly rose from her seat. She tried to bend over and reach under the tree that Lily had somehow missed and almost upset herself.

"I'll get it, Mum." As she pulled out the small gift and turned to give it to Harry, she saw that he had already given her mother the present she had seen at school, as well as a small, ruby red, foil-wrapped box on her seat.

"Shall we?" Harry asked as soon as she was seated. She felt her skin heat slightly over her cheeks once more, so she looked down and opened her present.

******

_Dear Potter,_

_Thank you for the lovely necklace that you gave me for Christmas.  
__It was very thoughtful of you, and I certainly didn't think that __you  
were capable of it. And while I have noticed that you have __changed,  
I think that you have much farther before you become a __decent  
adult._

_You've made a good start, though, and I appreciate it._

_Lily Evans_

_PS I still won't date you._

_Dear Evans,_

_I'm glad that you liked the necklace. It's as pretty as you are._

_James Potter_

_Dear Potter,_

_You are still a prat._

_Lily Evans_

TTTTTT

As soon as classes began in January once more, Lily felt as if she had been thrust into an endless sea of homework. Every one of her professors had begun assigning more and more work, with intensifying the practicals. Rationally, she knew that they were preparing them for the NEWTs they would be taking at the end of their seventh year. Lily was just frustrated because it was only the middle of their _sixth_ year.

The first day back in Defense, Harry had challenged the entire class to fight against him - all at once. Lily had been ashamed that she had been one of the first people to be disqualified from the fight. It had been surprising to see that Potter and Lupin had been the last two standing, with Snape a close third. Even then it had taken less than half an hour into the class for Harry to be the only one without a mark on him. Everyone else had been hit with at least three hexes - the minimum number for disqualification - and quite a few had four or five by being caught in the crossfire.

In transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had begun discussing living-based changes. Once again, Potter had been at the head of the class, although this time it was Black who was up there with him. As much work as Lily put into the class, she just wasn't a natural like those two were, as much as she hated to admit it.

Charms was her favorite, even with the amount of work Professor Flitwick was handing out. She felt free when she was charming objects into animation, and the harder it was to do, the better. It didn't hurt that she knew muggle science when it came to the subject, since most charms still had to obey the laws of physics. Even simple charms like Wingardium Levisoa worked on light objects, and for heavier objects one had to use charms that used much more magic than what a first year could use. Those raised in a magical household didn't understand that concept, but Lily did, even if she didn't have a large well of power. Professor Flitwick said that she also used instinctive magic, though she had never been able to find much more than a vague description. She found it a bit ironic that her instincts told her that she wouldn't find anything more than that.

The only classes that hadn't piled on the homework were Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, since these subjects built on theorems that didn't require the use of magic. Lily likened them to taking Spanish and math if she was in a Muggle school, and she could handle that.

Lily was so deep into her studies that it had come as a surprise to find that the Easter holiday was upon them. After classes ended on Friday, she found no one studying in the common room and instead of school bags, she found a variety of trunks scattered throughout the girls' side of the tower. Scrambling to reach her collection of letters from home, Lily searched for the most recent letter.

_Dearest Lily,_

_I am glad that you will stay up at school for the holidays. Petunia and I have  
__been very busy with the wedding plans, and I am afraid that her temper has been  
__quite set up over several things. I know how much you dislike fighting with your  
__sister, and I would rather have your attention kept on school, since this year  
__is important for your last year at Hogwarts._

_Other than helping your sister, I have been having tea with several of our neigh-  
__bors a few times a week - to get me out of the house. You know how much your  
__father loved this house, but I am now finding it difficult to take care of._

_When you come home for the summer, and after Petunia's wedding, you and I will  
__take a well-deserved holiday to the seaside. I have brochures from several places,  
__and we can decide where to go when you come home._

_I hope that your studies are going well. If you need any pocket money to go down  
__to the village, send me a note._

_Love,  
__Mum_

tttttt

Lily sat down on the floor next to her bed, pulling out the box that lay beneath. Her roommate was away for the holiday, so she felt safe enough to bring her box out into the open. The box was a warm, honey colored wood with a smooth finish. There was a relief of an apple blossom, Lily's favorite flower, engraved in the bottom right-hand corner, with the latch button cleverly made into the center.

She opened the lid, revealing the soft purple, crushed velvet lining. Lily ran a finger over the lush surface, reveling in the texture. In the middle of the box was a smaller inset box, covered with the same fabric. On top of it lay the necklace that Potter had given her for Christmas, the green gems sparkling as the weak March sun hit them. What she was looking for was inside of the inset box, so she carefully laid the necklace aside.

Lily picked up the ring that rested on the velvety interior of the jewelry chest. A large onyx rested in a silver setting, three diamonds nestled in a triangular pattern within the black stone. It was a man's ring - her father's grandfather's ring - rescued from the giveaway designated by Petunia when she was going through their father's belongings. It had been very tarnished and dirty when Lily had pulled it from the pile. Petunia had frowned at her when she asked about, saying that it was just a cheap piece of jewelry most likely bought at a jumble sale. Lily had known otherwise just looking at it, although she was puzzled by the faint tingle she felt every time she held it. It was especially prevalent when she had begun cleaning it with magic when it had resisted manual methods.

She looked back down at the box, smiling at the memory of receiving it. She hadn't expected the gift from Harry, but it was her most treasured object after the jeweled barrette her parents had given to her for her sixteenth birthday. When they had opened their gifts Christmas morning, she had had to will herself not to cry. Her mother had at her own gift, but Lily had not wanted to give Harry the impression that she was a weepy girl, which she most certainly wasn't. She had tripped over her words of thanks, and a flush crossed her cheeks remembering. Harry had been nice about it, which hadn't helped her embarrassment.

Since Christmas, Lily had been cleaning up the ring in her spare time, which wasn't a lot as her roommate tended to burst into the room with her friends, and she didn't dare take it downstairs into the common room with Potter and his gang. She had been tempted to go to Professor Flitwick to see if it did have any magic on it - otherwise it wouldn't produce that faint tingle in her fingertips - but she wasn't ready to go to anybody with this yet. Well, there was one person, but it might seem to be something different to him.

A tap on the window caught her attention. Looking up, she saw James Potter on the other side of the pane, nonchalantly waving from his perch upon his broom. Panic fluttered through her and she jumped up, forgetting about the box until its contents scattered across the floor. Lily frantically tried to scoop up the ring, but every time her fingers touched it, the ring tumbled even further. As she reached for it, a set of broader and longer fingers picked it up.

"Here you go," Potter said as she followed his hand up his body to his face. He was wearing a smile instead of the usual smirk. "It's a nice ring, although I think I've seen something like it before."

Lily stared at him. "What?"

Potter shrugged. "Maybe it was in a book, but I've seen something similar. It feels warm, though. Like there's a ward on it."

"Do you know much about wards, then?" Lily asked, stunned by the revelation that there was a ward on it. That was why she felt something on it, but they hadn't covered wards yet in any of their classes, it being something covered in seventh year charms.

Potter's smile widened, but this time it was definitely a smirk. "Of course." He looked down and then back at her. "Nice necklace, isn't it?"

She wanted to smack him. At least he hadn't noticed her box, which was closed and resting on the top.

Potter's smirk fell into a little grin. "Would you be willing to wear your very handsome necklace and come with me to Hogsmeade this afternoon? Old Minnie said that fifth year and up could go."

Lily frowned at his nickname for their Head of House, never mind some of the names she had for her.

"Please? I promise that it'll be just the two of us. Sirius has a date with some Hufflepuff, and Remus and Peter went home. So, I'd like to go to Hogsmeade, but not by myself," he finished with a rush.

She eyed him carefully, trying to figure out if he was being serious or if this was another prank. The longer she waited to answer, the more the grin disappeared from his lips.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, only...."

If she didn't know any better, Lily would have to say that James Potter was nervous. Judging by the way he couldn't keep his body still, she started to think he was.

"I'll go -" she started.

"Never mind - " he said at the same time.

They looked at each other in surprise.

Lily looked down as Potter cleared his throat. "So, you will then?"

She nodded, feeling her cheeks heat up the tiniest bit. "Sure. I'll go with you."

TTTTTT

Who knew that James Potter understood what modesty was?

In the three weeks since they had gone to Hogsmeade together, Lily had learned that Potter had a softer side to him, especially when Black wasn't around. Plus, he was helping Lily fix up the ring by testing the ward on it. Again he had said that he had seen a ring like it before, but he hadn't been able to figure out from where.

Besides the ring, Potter had been helping her with Transfiguration. And it was strange to find out that he was a good teacher. For a while she couldn't think of what was familiar about the style, but it eventually came to her that he was copying Harry's teaching style. She'd already noticed that Remus had copied his style, but it was quite amusing that Potter had done so as well.

"Hey, Evans!"

Lily looked up to find Potter and Remus making their way towards her table in the library. Several Ravenclaws and Madam Pince glared at them. Potter responded with an innocent look on his face and a charming smile on his lips. Pince's lips were tight, but the Ravenclaws were swayed by this and returned their attention to their studying.

"What is it, Potter?" she asked as he sat in the chair next to her, his bag making a loud noise as he set it on the table. "Hi, Remus," she greeted the amber-eyed teen who quietly sat down across the table from her.

"Hello, Lily." Remus smiled as he pulled out his charms book.

"Hey," Potter began, "Wanna help us with out charms essay? We were going to ask the charms guru himself, but some Ravenclaw got toppled by some books earlier." He snickered. "I wonder how bad the paper cut was and how much it bled."

"Potter," Lily began to scold.

"You can call me James, you know." He smiled winsomely.

"I know," she replied, with a cheeky grin of her own.

Coughing from the other side of the table caught her and James' attention.

"What?" James asked, as Lily inquired, "You all right?"

Remus shook his head in a negative fashion, tears threatening to run down red cheeks. As Lily watched in concern, he seemed to explode with quiet laughter. After a minute, he seemed to settle down into chuckles, with a burst of true laughter every ten seconds or so.

"What the hell are you laughing at, Moony?" Potter asked after a couple of minutes.

"It's... it's nothing, Prongs," Remus managed to splutter out between chuckles.

"So, what's with the nicknames?" Lily asked when it looked like the other Gryffindor sixth-year prefect had settled down. She was rather curious to know why they used them and how they arrived at those particular names. She grew even more curious when she saw the expressions they wore.

"It's nothing," Potter said. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"It can't be nothing, if you're nervous about it," Lily commented "Is it because you've done something you shouldn't have?"

Both boys squirmed and wore uncomfortable looks on their faces.

"You did! It wasn't illegal, was it?"

Potter looked at his hands, while Remus' cheeks flushed.

"Did it hurt anyone?" Lily felt compelled to ask.

They both shook their heads, and Lily sat back in her chair, relieved.

"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" Potter asked quietly.

She shook her head, then almost laughed at the way both boys slumped into their chairs. That they had dome something illegal didn't surprise her. She was, however, very glad that no one had been hurt. But it still didn't answer her question. "So, what's with the nicknames?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

She nodded.

"So can we." He grinned impishly. He continued at Lily's scowl. "I'll tell you in a bit. I don't want to talk about it here. Is that okay with you, Remus?"

The amber-eyed boy nodded, an apprehensive look on his face that made her worry. "We should all be there, though." He exchanged a look with Potter before looking Lily in the eye. "I hope that you won't change your mind once you hear what our secret is."

"I promise I won't tell," Lily answered.

TTTTTT

"Did you know that there's a potions master who's working on a potion for werewolves?" Lily asked as she sat next to Potter three weeks later. "Of course, there's another master who's working on a potion that will help curb a dieter's appetite."

"I heard that," Potter said. "I mean, about the first one. And they've tried the weight loss potion before." He grinned at her. "So, why'd you sit here of all places? Not that I really mind, but there is a lot of lawn on this side of the school."

"Don't get any rude ideas in what you call your brain, Potter," Lily said as she opened her bag and pulled out a small box. "I think that I figured out what the ward is on the ring, but I wanted a second opinion on it before I -" She cut herself off, not wanting to give her plans away to Potter.

"Before you what?" Potter asked. "Going to give it to Professor Parker, because you like him," he said in a sing-song voice.

Lily felt her cheeks flush before she could stop herself.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"No," she lied primly.

"Yes it is," Potter countered.

"It was my father's, hence I wanted to take care of it."

He grinned wickedly at that. "If that was true, you wouldn't have cleaned it up and made it shine. You would have carefully kept it in your box to take out and think of him on his birthday."

Lily was stumped at that, because it was both logical _and_ Potter had thought of it. She saw him smirking at her and decided to keep quiet.

"Potter -"

"It's James," he interrupted her. His lips straightened and his eyes were downcast. "Please, call me James."

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she turned towards the lake in the distance. "Why?"

"I want you to know me as James, a friend, rather than Potter, the idiot you have to take points from." He grinned in an almost-shy way. "So, would you please call me James?"

Lily couldn't hold back the giggles when he sent her puppy-dog eyes. There was just something about him lately that she was really starting to like. "Very well, then, _James._"


	3. Part 3

Title: Lilium auratum  
Author: Qellaswe  
Rating: K+, for language  
Pairings: one-sided Lily/DADA professor, pre-James/Lily  
Spoilers: I'll say through HBP, just to cover all the bases  
Disclaimer: Jo owns 'em. I'm just playing with 'em.  
Summary: It's the start of Lily Evans' sixth year at Hogwarts. What happens when she takes a shine to the newest DADA teacher? And what's up with James Potter, anyway?  
AN: It's my first MWPP era fic, and I have to say that I'm very excited. This story was begun just after HBP came out and finished before DH. This was posted on my livejournal, but only one person read it, as far as I know, because that journal was abandoned soon after. This story was orginally part of a three-story series, but the third was never finished. The second story will be out as soon as it's been looked through.  
This story has been cut into three parts to make reading a bit easier.  
Lilium auratum: Japanese lily, often called the Goldband Lily. The flower colour is typically white, with gold radial markings, and orange spots.

Lily pulled her hair up in one hand and waved over her neck with the other, hoping that it would bring some relief from the heat wave that had hit Hogwarts. Even a ponytail hadn't been enough, since her hair still rested against her neck somewhat. Three days before school was officially out for the summer and it was as if the weather had decided they were in Egypt instead of the middle of Scotland.

Almost all of the other students were outside, where there was a light breeze. The majority of those had gone further to seek relief by swimming in the lake - despite the fact that the giant squid would occasionally toss a student back to shore when they got too close. She was planning on going outside herself later. First, though, she wanted to do this when there weren't any students around.

She nervously knocked on the door, pulling up the right strap of her tank top as it fell for the umpteenth time today. The windows, up and down the hallway, had been thrown open wide in an attempt to lure in the breeze. Even so, it was uncomfortably warm as she waited.

"Lily?"

She turned towards the voice, eyes widening as she caught sight of Harry. Never in all of her fervid - and embarrassing - dreams had she imagined seeing him like this. His tanned skin shone with a light layer of sweat, and as she watched, a drop followed the hollows of his very nice abdomen until it hit the waistband of his cutoff jeans. Her eyes were drawn down the golden-hued, muscled legs, ending with bare feet and wiggling big toes.

"Why aren't you outside where it's cooler?" Harry asked as he approached. "You should be out there enjoying yourself instead of being in this stuffy, old castle."

Lily knew he was waiting for a response, but her brain was still stuck on the fact that Harry was mostly naked.

"Lily? You okay?"

She shook her head to clear it, but Harry got the wrong idea. He came closer and put a hand across her forehead.

"You feel hot, but I don't know if it's because of the heat," he said in a worried tone of voice.

Lily knew that she should say something, but she liked feeling his hand on her face. But she felt guilty when she saw how concerned he looked.

"I'm fine," Lily spluttered out, grabbing Harry's hand and holding it in both of hers. "It's just... my mind's wandering now that I don't have anything to do. As far as schoolwork, I mean." She mentally winced at how pathetic that sounded, but she didn't know a way to go back and change it.

Harry sighed before grinning widely. "Good. I was starting to get worried. So, what did you want to talk to me about, seeing as you're in front of my office door?" He chuckled lightly as he looked down at his feet. "I suppose I ought to put my shoes on, as well as a shirt."

Lily was tempted to tell him that he really didn't need to do that, but he was already in his office and slipping on a faded t-shirt that clung to his sweaty body. Okay, that wasn't as bad as she had thought. She looked around the room in an attempt to not look at him, and saw a strange, white bird perched on a coat rack by the door on the other side of the room. She eyed it curiously, but it was asleep by the way its head was underneath its wing. She turned back to him when she heard him muttering to himself about finding only one shoe.

He looked down as he pulled the shirt out, revealing a bit of his stomach as he smoothed the shirt down. He sat down on the sofa that sat under the window, inviting her to join him. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Um." Lily's brain promptly forgot the reason why she was here. After a couple of tries to restart, she remembered what she wanted to say before she gave Harry the ring. Potter... no, James had been correct about that part, at least. "I was wondering if you... um... like me?" she finished uncertainly.

Harry had a big grin on his face. "Of course I do. If I didn't, I doubt I would be sitting next to you like this."

She inwardly groaned. His humor was a bit like a certain sixth-year's, although she could handle it better coming from Harry than she could from Po-James. Lily shook her head. "No. I mean, do you like me when I'm not a student - like a person you would meet on the street."

Harry nodded. "I find you infinitely interesting, Lily. In fact, if you can stand the heat later, we could play chess or some other game, if you'd like."

Lily suppressed the giant smile that threatened to bloom. Instead, she allowed a small smile to cross her lips as she nodded. "I'd like that." She paused, unsure of how to present the ring.

"What is it?" Harry asked. "I hope you know that you can tell me anything."

"I... That is -" She took a deep breath as she dug into her pocket. "I think that I really like you - love you, really - and I wanted you to have this ring," she said all in one breath, finally holding the ring out to him with the tips of her fingers.

Harry looked shocked, then confused. His facial expression then became sad looking. With each change, Lily could feel her heart crack just a little.

"Lily." His voice cracked, and there was such an air of sadness that her heart stopped cracking and clenched tightly instead. "Lily... I do love you as well -" her eyes widened at that and she started to smile - "but not the same way." Harry touched the ring. "And, as much as I would like to accept this ring, I have to decline on the grounds that I have a ring like this one. That I _have_ this ring."

Lily's hand, which had been holding the ring up, fell into her lap as her limbs went numb at the words. What did he mean he couldn't take the ring - and what was up with the 'I love you, too, but in a different way?'

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to be forceful. There was a quiver to her voice, though, making her sound pathetic to her own ears.

"Lily," he began, taking her hand - the one in her lap - and gently holding it between both of his own. "I do love you, but it is nowhere near how you love me. I think of you as family, and that is how I love you."

She could feel her heart breaking into little pieces - she certainly didn't think of Harry as a brother. "So, you love me like your sister, then?" she asked snottily, pulling her hand away.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "No. I love you like a mother."

Lily's world froze at the unexpected answer. "What?" It came out shaky. She went over it and decided that she had heard him wrong, so she asked, "Where are you from then? I didn't think I had any relatives in England."

Harry sighed again. "_When_ is the more appropriate question to ask in this case." A hand wiped over his eyes. "I know I'm not explaining this very well, and I'm sorry for that. But, I wanted to get the chance to know you."

"When?" Lily shook her head to clear the cobwebs. But the more she tried to wrap her mind around the question, the more confused she grew. It was made even worse when he nodded. "So," she paused, thinking of how to phrase this to humor him, "_when_ are you from?"

"Forty years into the future from now."

Lily blinked at the answer. Her crush first told her that he loves her - as if she were his mother - and then he tells her that he's from the future? One more question, and then she was going to the Headmaster to have Harry put in St. Mungo's. "And how old are you? And just how does one travel back in time forty years?"

Harry grinned. "Thirty-five, and a really powerful time turner done in two stages."

"You're serious?"

"No," he grinned even wider. "He's probably currently being molested by the giant squid for having the audacity to tickle it."

Lily closed her eyes and counted to ten as the most horrible thought came to her that he was from the future. Obviously he'd been exposed to Potter much more in the future than here, because that was eerily similar to what he would say.

"Thirty-five? How old am I? Am I really your mother, or do you just think of me as one? Please, though, don't tell me Petunia's your mother, although I would be okay with that if you are." She took a deep breath and looked at Harry for answers. She was beginning to get curious to see if this was real and not some horrible prank, considering she had a ring clenched in her fist meant for the man sitting across from her.

"No. I'm not Petunia's son - that's Dudley. And you _are_ my mother."

That covered a couple of things she was wondering about, but it made her curious to know who was with her and what were they doing. She nodded to herself, mentally tallying a list of questions. "Is Petunia married to Vernon, or did she end up marrying someone else? And what about your f-father and I? Are we... are we still together?" How weird was that, asking that when she had never been on a date. Well, an official one, if you wanted to get technical about going to Hogsmeade with Po - James.

Harry's face lost all of its joviality with the last two questions.

"Is your father dead?" Lily asked hesitantly, still unsure of whom his father was.

He nodded, but his face stayed the same.

A chill ran down her spine. "Am I?" she whispered, suddenly frightened of the answer.

Harry's mouth formed a frown and his eyes were pools of untold sadness.

This time, her heart was breaking in a much different way. She had come to love Harry very much, even though it was now so... icky feeling, but to hear that he had lost his mother - and to learn that she was that same person he had lost. She didn't want to know when or how she died. Ever. Or at least, not until the last possible moment. And she was trying to ignore everything that her mind was screaming at her, wanting to wait until she had a moment to herself to lick her wounds and rail at Fate.

She was turning into one of those mindless groupies, with a strange case of Mental Breakdown four days down the road.

"When do I give you the ring?" Lily startled both herself and Harry with the suddenness of the question.

Harry shrugged. "I found it in the family vault when I was twenty. According to Remus, it was my father's until his death."

Morbidly, she had to ask, "Who was your father."

He looked at her with intense eyes. "You already know who it is."

Lily stood up at the thought of just whom he was talking about. She shook her head, clutching the ring in her hand as tightly as she could. "It's not possible."

"It is," Harry said in a sad tone.

No, it wasn't exactly sad, but all Lily could think of what: could James have already known about this?

"Is this some kind of sick joke you and Potter are playing?" She was suddenly mad enough to spit nails, the entire situation having caused a meltdown.

Harry stood up, shock written all over his face. "No! I wouldn't ever do that to you! I just wanted to get to know you." He closed his eyes tightly together for a moment, his hands in fists at his sides. "It took me ten years to perfect the time turner so that it would go back years instead of hours. I didn't even know I was supposed to come back until Remus mentioned a Professor Parker."

Lily froze at that. "Remus knows?"

"The future Remus does. The present one does not." Harry reached for her.

She stepped back, dodging out of his reach. Shaking her head, Lily grabbed for the door. "I. I can't deal with this. I think I - I think I need to think on this."

"Lily!" Harry's voice followed her down the hallway, but she didn't dare turn around. After all, what could she say to the situation? It isn't exactly everyday that one meets their future son who has come back to get to know her.

The castle was stifling and not only from the heat. The air was suppressed and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Lily had to get out, but she also wanted to avoid all of the other students that were outside. She ran to a rarely used door, pushing it open to reveal the small courtyard that she had found her first year.

"Lily?"

She turned at the voice, wand in hand and a hex on her lips.

"What's the matter, Lils?" James Potter asked from the grass in front of the stone bench. On the bench lay Remus, with a pillow tucked under his head and book propped up on his chest. Black and Pettigrew were playing exploding snap on the walkway, underneath the apple tree. Black was munching on one of the fruits, since the tree gave fruit throughout the warm weather months.

She was tempted to let the hex fly anyway at the boys in front of her, for the simple reason that they were in her garden when she didn't want to see _anybody._

TtTtTtT

"Did you know?"

He shook his head.

"But, what about the ring?"

"It was just a glimpse through what must have been a glamour."

"Mm."

"Did you want another piece of cake?"

"No, thank you. I'm absolutely stuffed. Although it _is_ rather nice that the house elves could put this together."

"Are you feeling better now?"

Lily looked over to where James was licking chocolate frosting from his fingers. As she watched, she was struck by the resemblance to Harry's hands. Wide palms and long, blunt fingers were on the end of long arms, although James had hairier arms. It did make Lily wonder what he would look like without his shirt. A tiny frisson of self-disgust passed through at the realization that she had been drooling over her own son - Electra complex, anyone? Or was that some other sort of Freudian condition?

"Now what's the matter?" James asked as Lily tried to cover her flushed cheeks with her hands.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "Just thinking how I utterly embarrassed myself by telling my future son that I have a crush on him. And finding him cute."

There was the sound of muffled laughter as James fell on his side, both hands over his mouth. He calmed down at Lily's glare and slowly sat up. "Sorry," he said with a chuckle. "It is kind of funny to know that you were hitting on _and_ drooling over him."

Lily's face flamed, and she was tempted to smack him in response to his remark. But as she thought about it, the more she realized it was kind of funny. She wouldn't laugh right now, because it was so fresh, but she rather thought she might in a year or ten.

"Do you think that he is... was a cute baby?" James asked. "I mean - "

"Yes, I do think he'll be cute in a few years," Lily said.

James grinned. "Why wouldn't he be? He does take after me in looks."

"Though, I am very happy that he has my brains." Lily giggled at the expression on his face. It was shock and agreement wrapped up into a bizarre look. It was amazing that she felt this comfortable with James, when not even yesterday she would have been this personal with him. Of course, yesterday she hadn't known she would eventually have a son with him either.

"I wonder if he knew," Lily uttered under her breath.

"Who knew what?" James inquired as he pulled two bottles of butterbeer out of the basket, handing one to her.

"Remember when my parents were in that accident, and Harry took me down there?" At James' nod, she continued, "Well, my father briefly woke up and, after Petunia and I talked with him, Harry went in there. I originally thought that it was to reassure Dad that Harry would look after me. Am I crazy for thinking now that he was introducing himself?"

"It was a little of both," Harry's deep voice intoned from the doorway. He was leaning against the doorjamb, this time wearing jeans and a Chudley Cannons t-shirt. His bare feet made no sound as he crossed the paved path into the courtyard. "I came to check on you when Remus couldn't find you."

"How did you find us then?" James asked as Harry sat down.

Harry grinned and pulled out a worn piece of parchment and handed it to James. Lily leaned over to watched as James tapped his wand to the parchment.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Lines began to sprawl across the parchment, with names crowded into what looked like the Great Hall. She followed the hallways down to the courtyard they were in and saw three names: Lily Evans, James Potter, and Harry Potter.

"Harry's not short for anything?" James asked as he cleared the map with "Mischief managed."

Harry shook his head. "As far as I know it's not." He plucked the map from James' hands. "And I can't let you keep this, or it will cause problems in the future."

"But we lost ours," James whined.

"And it has to stay there," Harry intoned. "Otherwise I wouldn't be getting it eighteen years from now."

James sat back. "It must be bugger all to keep things straight."

"Language!" Lily scolded him.

Harry shook his head. "You get used to it after a while. Although sometimes it's hard to remember that I won't be born for another five years."

Lily smiled as the two males chuckled. Side by side, you could tell that they were closely related. They had the same bone structure as well - moderately tall with long arms and legs. James wore an innocent air that made him look younger than his years. On the other hand, Harry's eyes told of a much older soul than his physical body would suggest.

"Why are your eyes so light?" she suddenly asked. "They should be darker than mine, wouldn't they?"

"They were the exact same shade when I was younger, but a power drain made them lighter, as well as giving me these lovely streaks in my hair."

Lily's hands were up to her mouth in shock, and glancing over she found James in the same state.

"What happened?"

Harry sighed. "It takes a lot of magic to create a time turner. When I cast the final spell, I wasn't prepared for the drain it would make."

"Must be why the Ministry keeps a tight rein over them, then." Lily felt them both stare at her remark. "What? I can't be flippant about things every once in a while?"

"It's not that so much as you have to have permission to have one, so a lot of people don't know about them," James explained. He turned to Harry. "So, whom did you get permission from to make one?"

"I didn't." Harry smirked. "Besides, I don't deal with the Ministry any more than I have to."

"That's my boy, doing things illegally!" James chuckled while Lily rolled her eyes at the inane remark.

"Thanks, Dad." Harry had a wry grin on his lips.

Lily was thankful for this little interlude, knowing what she did of the future. She buried this memory deep in her heart for the day when she needed hope - a keepsake of what was to come.

TTTTTT

"Did you know about Harry at Christmas?" Lily asked as soon as she found her mother on the platform.

"And hello to you, too," her mother replied, giving a hug to her daughter. "And what did I know about Harry?"

"About him being a relative," Lily said bluntly. She waved to Remus as he and his uncle walked past. When she looked back, she found her mother smiling broadly. "What?"

"You've made some friends your own age."

"Mother!" Lily shook her head, trying to ignore the urge to hex her parent.

The older Evans laughed lightly, even as Lily felt herself flush with anger.

"Oh, Lily. I knew he was a relative the moment I saw his eyes. I just didn't know how close of a relation he was until Christmas."

"Did Dad know?" Lily asked in a small voice.

Her mother's face quickly took on a somber look. "I think he must have, because your father was saying things about him that the doctors and I put down to the sedatives." She looked down and grabbed a hold of Lily's free hand with both of hers. "I think he was very happy to have met his grandson."

A train whistle went off, reminding the both of them that they were in a public place.

"Well," her mother began, "I suggest we get to the car and see if we can get some take-away for tonight. How does some Thai sound?"

Lily nodded and turned around to make sure she had everything. As she straightened, she saw Harry standing on the edge of the nearly empty platform, a trunk at his feet and the white bird from his office on his shoulder. She instantly knew that he was leaving this time and going back to his own.

The bird flew off and flew towards her, a letter clearly clutched in its talons. As it landed on her arm, she saw that it was a white phoenix. Lily was shocked at the sight, and it took her mother's comment of "What a pretty bird!" for her to realize the bird was patiently holding out its leg. She carefully took the parchment and slowly stroked her hand down the bird's back. It let out a pleased trill and she felt happiness bubble in her chest.

Harry whistled sharply, followed by the faintest call of "Hedwig," which Lily assumed was the phoenix's name. She tucked the parchment into a pocket and looked up to wave, but he was no longer on the platform.

"You'll see him again, honey," her mother softly said. "Let's go."

Once settled into the car, and her mother slowly backing out of the car park, she pulled out the letter. She read it quickly and then went back through it at a much slower pace, savoring the words. There was a smile on her face as Lily carefully folded the parchment back into the star shape it had originally been in.

"Everything fine, then?" her mother asked.

Lily nodded, more to herself than to her mother. "Yes. Although I can't wait to see James change Harry's diapers in five years."


End file.
